INSPECTION REPORT

HUNGERHILL SCHOOL

Edenthorpe, Doncaster

LEA area: Doncaster

Unique reference number: 106795

Headteacher: Mr Graham Wakeling

Reporting inspector: Alan Haigh 2630

Dates of inspection: 11th – 14th March 2003

Inspection number: 249125

Short inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 © Crown copyright 2003

This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Comprehensive

School category: Community

Age range of pupils: 11 – 16

Gender of pupils: Mixed

School address: Hungerhill Lane Edenthorpe Doncaster South Yorkshire

Postcode: DN3 2JY

Telephone number: 01302 885811

Fax number: 01302 880384

Appropriate authority: The governing body

Name of chair of governors: Mrs M Bates

Date of previous inspection: 13th – 17th January 1997

Hungerhill School - 3 INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members 2630 Alan Haigh Registered inspector 13448 Dawn Lloyd Lay inspector 3758 Tony Barringer Team inspector 8873 Charlotte Evers Team inspector 3937 John Seed Team inspector

The inspection contractor was:

Peak Education Partnership Cockerham Hall Huddersfield Road Barnsley S70 2LT

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division The Office for Standards in Education Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE

Hungerhill School - 4 REPORT CONTENTS

Page

PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school

PART B: COMMENTARY

WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL 11

WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED 14

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER? 16

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS 17

Hungerhill School - 5 PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Hungerhill School is an above-average sized 11–16 mixed, fully comprehensive community school, currently educating about 1140 pupils. It is heavily over-subscribed. About seven per cent of the pupils are eligible for free school meals; this is well below the national average. The socio-economic circumstances of the area the school serves are a little above average. The proportion of pupils whose mother tongue is not English is low. About 98 per cent of pupils are from white United Kingdom heritage families. The proportion of pupils identified as having special educational needs is, at about nine per cent, below the national average and the proportion with statements of special educational needs, at 3.2 per cent, is above average. The attainment of pupils on entry to the school is a little above average. The school participates in the Excellence in Cities initiative and consequently receives additional funding to provide pupils with learning mentors and to address the needs of the gifted and talented pupils. The school additionally receives European Social Fund Objective 1 funding.

HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school is very successful and improving. The new headteacher is successfully building on the many inherited strengths. High standards are being maintained and teaching is very good. The leadership and management are excellent and there is a very positive ethos for learning. The school provides very good value for money.

What the school does well · The proportions of pupils obtaining five or more GCSE passes with grades A* to C and grades A* to G were well above the national average in 2002 and have improved significantly since the last inspection. · Boys’ and girls’ 2002 GCSE science results were significantly above average, as also were girls’ results in childcare and boys’ results in physical education. · The provision for pupils with special educational needs is excellent and these pupils make very good progress. · Excellent planning of lessons and management of pupils result in very good teaching and ensure that pupils make very good progress; expectations are high and examination preparation is thorough. · Pupils’ enthusiasm for school is excellent and their attitudes to work are very good – they enjoy learning. · The excellent relationships between teachers and pupils and amongst pupils ensure very good learning. · The leadership and management are excellent. Senior teachers, staff and governors demonstrate an excellent commitment and capacity to succeed further.

Hungerhill School - 6 What could be improved · Standards in ICT are not high enough because there is too little teaching time in Years 10 and 11, some teaching is unsatisfactory and resources and accommodation are inadequate. · The total teaching time is less than that recommended in all years and standards in English in Years 7 to 9 are being held back because there is not enough teaching time for that subject. · There are too few vocational courses in Years 10 and 11 to meet the needs of all pupils. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has made significant improvements since it was last inspected in January 1997. The current headteacher took over a very successful school in September 2002 and is building well on the many strengths. Standards of attainment have continued to rise at all stages and GCSE results are much better. Results in English, mathematics and science are much better for 14 and 16 year olds than in 1997. The quality of teaching has improved a great deal and the needs of gifted and talented pupils are addressed particularly well. Much successful work has been done on literacy across the curriculum. There have been clear improvements in boys’ examination performances and the gap between boys’ and girls’ results at age 16 is now smaller than that in many schools. The school monitors and evaluates its performance much more systematically now. Assessment procedures in Years 7 to 9 have improved and National Curriculum levels are used extensively to indicate pupils’ attainments and progress. Statutory requirements are not yet met regarding the coverage of ICT in Years 10 and 11 but significant improvements are under way in that subject. Statutory requirements are still not met regarding collective worship although the school is conscientiously trying to meet them. Parents of pupils in Years 10 and 11 now receive reports on their child’s progress in physical education and religious education.

STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved at the end of Year 11 based on average point scores in GCSE examinations.

compared with Key similar Performance in: all schools schools well above average A above average B 2000 2001 2002 2002 average C below average D GCSE examinations B A B C well below average E

The results in the national tests taken by 14 year olds in summer 2002 were well above the national average in mathematics and science for boys and for girls. Results were above average in English with girls being further ahead of their national average than boys were of theirs. When compared with similar schools, defined as those with the same proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals, the mathematics and science results were above average and English results average. The upward trend in the combined results in these three subjects has been similar to the national upward trend over the past five years but that

Hungerhill School - 7 in mathematics has been the most noticeably upwards. The ‘value added’ measures for the 2002 group of 14 year olds show that they made the expected progress in the past three years.

The GCSE results, based on the average total GCSE points score per pupil, were above the national average in 2002. They were in line with those in similar schools. The upward trend in the average points score has mirrored the national one. The proportion of pupils obtaining five or more GCSE A* to C results was well above the national average in 2002 and, at 64.9 per cent, well ahead of the school’s target of 60 per cent. The average points score per pupil was also ahead of target. The ‘value added’ measures for the 2002 group of 16 year olds show that they made much better progress than expected in the past two years.

The strongest GCSE subjects in 2002 for boys and girls were science and physical education. Girls’ results were also significantly above average in childcare, design and technology, French and history. Pupils achieved significantly better results in science and physical education in 2002 than in most of their other subjects. In addition to science and physical education, the results in art, design and technology, English language and literature, French, geography, mathematics and religious education were significantly above the national average in 2001.

Standards in work seen are generally above average and the vast majority of pupils make very good progress. The attainment of 14 year olds is above average in English, mathematics and science. That for 16 year olds is above average in English and well above in mathematics and science. Pupils achieve very well in English, mathematics and science at all stages. Particularly high standards were seen in art and drama and excellent progress was observed in music and physical education. Pupils with special educational needs progress very well. Standards of literacy and numeracy are above average although pupils’ speaking sometimes lacks clarity. Standards in ICT are not high enough. The gifted and talented pupils do well, responding to the very high expectations placed on them.

PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school These are very good. Pupils have a clear wish to work hard in lessons and show a great deal of enthusiasm for activities during and outside the school day.

Behaviour, in and out of This is very good and the rate of exclusions is below average. classrooms Many pupils behave in a very mature and considerate way with politeness and confidence.

Personal development Personal development is very good and relationships are and relationships excellent. Pupils are thoughtful, respecting each other, their teachers and their environment.

Attendance This is excellent. Consistently high levels of attendance have been maintained over the years and the high figures are still improving. Punctuality is very good.

Hungerhill School - 8 TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching of pupils: Years 7 – 9 Years 10 – 11

Quality of teaching Very good Very good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.

The overall quality of teaching is very good, reflecting the excellent planning of lessons and skilfully sensitive management of pupils. Half the lessons were very good or excellent and nine out of ten were good or better. Two lessons were unsatisfactory. Teachers have very strong knowledge of their subjects and use a good range of approaches to make lessons interesting. Pupils say that many lessons are fun. Pupils make every effort to do well and show an especially high level of interest in their work, with excellent concentration and ability to work independently. Teachers are particularly successful in preparing pupils for examinations and expectations are high, particularly with pupils in Years 10 and 11. Time is used well and lessons start promptly and usually proceed briskly. Pupils’ progress was too slow in the tiny proportion of unsatisfactory lessons because many pupils were unclear what to do. Literacy and numeracy are taught well and pupils apply these skills successfully throughout their learning. The skilled teaching of pupils with special educational needs enables these pupils to make very good progress. The gifted and talented pupils are extended well with much challenging work and they also learn very well and make very good progress.

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Aspect Comment

The quality and range of This is good overall. Breadth and quality are very good but there the curriculum is too little time for English in Years 7 to 9 and too little time for ICT in Years 10 and 11. Strategies for teaching literacy and numeracy are very good and there is a wide range of extra- curricular activities. Assemblies are of high quality but the requirements that all pupils attend a daily act of collective worship are not met.

Provision for pupils with This is excellent. There are comprehensive procedures for special educational identifying pupils’ needs. Work is co-ordinated very effectively. needs Individual education plans are of good quality. The learning support assistants are deployed most successfully and work closely with the subject teachers in ensuring that the pupils make the same very good progress as others.

Provision for pupils’ This is good overall and the provision for pupils’ moral and social personal, including development is very good, reflected in pupils’ tolerance of others’ spiritual, moral, social views. Pupils are given many opportunities to show initiative and and cultural, take responsibility as seen in the paired reading scheme. They development learn well about life in a multi-cultural society.

How well the school The educational and personal support is excellent and the cares for its pupils procedures for child protection are very good. The school successfully ensures pupils’ welfare and adopts a genuine caring

Hungerhill School - 9 approach to all pupils. Parents’ views of the school are very positive and the school works very well with them.

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Aspect Comment

Leadership and These are excellent. The senior management team is a very management by the effective blend of skills and styles. Middle managers are strong headteacher and other and the whole staff show a clear commitment to further key staff improvement. The school’s aims and values show clearly through its very positive ethos for learning.

How well the governors Governors are very supportive and are very strongly led. They fulfil their responsibilities provide a high level of support in shaping the school’s direction. They have a positive but not heavy-handed role in monitoring the school’s work. They need to ensure that some gaps in the curriculum, related to ICT and collective worship, are filled.

The school’s evaluation This is excellent. Much relevant data is collected and carefully of its performance analysed and appropriate action follows. The monitoring, evaluation and development of teaching are excellent. The school is very keen to build on its strengths.

The strategic use of This is very good with clear links between funding and plans. The resources principles of best value are applied assiduously. The excellent, well-run library is used particularly effectively. The school provides very good value for money.

PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

· The school expects their children to work · About one in six of those replying feels hard and achieve their best. the amounts of homework are not right. · Their children make good progress in · About one in seven says they are not school. well enough informed of how their child is getting on. · They feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. · About one in eight feels the school does not work closely enough with them. · The teaching is good. · The school is well led and managed.

The inspectors fully endorse the parents’ positive comments. Inspectors feel the amounts of homework are, overall, about right. Information on pupils’ progress, including reports, is excellent. Inspectors think the school makes very good efforts to work closely with parents.

Hungerhill School - 10 PART B: COMMENTARY

WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

The proportions of pupils obtaining five or more GCSE passes with grades A* to C and grades A* to G were well above the national average in 2002 and have improved significantly since the last inspection.

1 In 2002 64.9 per cent of pupils achieved at least five GCSE passes with grades A* to C when the national rate was 49.9 per cent. The school’s figure was well above the national average. At the time of the last report the school’s figure was only two per cent above the corresponding national figure. The 2002 figure for five or more grades A* to G was 98.2 per cent against a national figure of 90.9 per cent. The corresponding figures at the time of the last report were 93 per cent for the school and 88 per cent nationally. There has been an upward trend in both these measures for the school at a rate that has been greater than the national rate.

2 In 2001 the school’s figure for five or more GCSE passes with grades A* to C was almost 69 per cent. This was 20 per cent above the corresponding national figure. The proportion of pupils in school achieving five or more grades A* to G was 99.6 per cent and this placed the school in the top five per cent of all schools nationally for this measure. Although the 2002 figures were not quite as high as the 2001 figures, the progress made by the pupils who took their GCSEs in 2002 was a little better than that of the previous cohort, as confirmed by the school’s ‘value-added’ measures based on pupils’ prior attainments.

Boys’ and girls’ 2002 GCSE science results were significantly above average, as also were girls’ results in childcare and boys’ results in physical education.

3 The GCSE science results have been consistently high for many years for boys and for girls, reflecting the very good quality teaching, thorough examination preparation and high expectations of all pupils. In 2002, 73 per cent achieved grades A* to C in the dual award combined science course against a national figure of 50 per cent. All but one of the 220 candidates achieved at least a grade G and the entry figure represented all but three of the total year group. More than nine per cent of grades were A*, about three times the national average, and over 14 per cent were A grades, double the national rate.

4 Girls achieve a little more highly in science than boys do but the gap between boys and girls is about the same as the gap nationally. Hungerhill girls achieved, on average, about half a grade higher results in science than in their other subjects. Boys were about one third of a grade better in science than in their other subjects.

5 Childcare is a popular and successful GCSE course and more than 40 girls took the examination in 2002. More than 73 per cent achieved a grade A* to C against a national figure of about 46 per cent. Almost 98 per cent achieved a pass grade, again above the national figure.

6 Boys achieve particularly high standards in the GCSE physical education course and represented 47 of the 63 pupils entered. All boys entered achieved at least a grade G and 72 per cent were awarded A* to C against a national rate of 52 per cent. Almost 13 per cent of boys were awarded a grade A*, about four times the national average and the 17 per cent achieving a grade A was about double the corresponding national figure.

Hungerhill School - 11 The provision for pupils with special educational needs is excellent and these pupils make very good progress.

7 The school’s provision for pupils with special educational needs is excellent and the work is carefully and skilfully co-ordinated. There are comprehensive procedures for identifying pupils who need particular help. Frequent liaison with the feeder schools ensures that full details are obtained on pupils’ needs well before they arrive at the school. The co- ordinator for pupils with special educational needs collates the information well from a number of sources and provides teachers and the learning support assistants with all the data they require.

8 The individual education plans, created for all pupils on the special educational needs register, are prepared well and are of good quality. The co-ordinator involves parents and pupils in setting targets as part of these plans. The pupils’ progress is reviewed regularly. The learning support assistants are deployed very effectively and work closely with the subject teachers in ensuring that the pupils make the same very good progress as others. This was demonstrated well in a Year 7 mathematics class who were using spreadsheets to solve problems. The several pupils on the special educational needs register were supported very well and made brisk progress. Most of the pupils with statements of special educational needs receive more support than that specified on the statement. The ‘paired reading scheme’ organised by the learning support assistants involving pupils in Years 10 and 11 as helpers provides excellent opportunities for younger pupils to improve their reading skills.

Excellent planning of lessons and management of pupils result in very good teaching and ensure that pupils make very good progress; expectations are high and examination preparation is thorough.

9 The overall quality of teaching is very good, reflecting the excellent planning of lessons and skilfully sensitive management of pupils. Half the lessons were very good or excellent and nine out of ten were good or better. Two lessons were unsatisfactory. The teaching in Years 10 and 11 was a little better than that in Years 7 to 9. All was at least satisfactory and all but one lesson was at least good; about a third was excellent. Teachers have very strong knowledge of their subjects and use a good range of approaches to make lessons interesting.

10 Pupils say that many lessons are fun and this was more than amply illustrated in some very successful drama lessons. The teacher is excellent at motivating pupils and creates a wonderful working atmosphere. Her very high level of expertise results in the pupils being totally absorbed in their work. Drama teaching with pupils in Years 10 and 11 was excellent and standards of pupils’ performances were very high. Some drama sessions are taught outside the school day and these are equally successful, demonstrating the talent and commitment of teacher and pupils.

11 An excellent mathematics lesson, with Year 10 pupils, illustrated the successful use of the National Numeracy Strategy. A brisk opening session illustrated the pupils’ facility with changing fractions to decimals and extended them into exploring recurring decimals. Within a short space of time they had learned how to write complicated recurring decimals as fractions. A similarly successful mathematics lesson with Year 7 pupils benefited from very careful planning, high expectations and a brisk and purposeful approach. The low attaining pupils were working in a cramped and far from ideal ICT room but demonstrated skills with spreadsheets and a near-average facility with number. The excellent relationships and skilful deployment of extra staff enabled rapid progress for all pupils, many of whom had special educational needs.

Hungerhill School - 12 12 Pupils make every effort to do well and show an especially high level of interest in their work, with excellent concentration and ability to work independently. A Year 9 science lesson on the conservation of mass and the use of chemical equations illustrated this well. Gifted and talented pupils were identified and extended well. Work and questioning were very challenging and explanations were very clear. The particularly positive ethos for learning typified the vast majority of lessons observed. All pupils were involved well and humour and praise contributed very effectively to an excellent lesson with science standards well above those expected.

13 Teachers are particularly successful in preparing pupils for examinations and expectations are high, particularly with pupils in Years 10 and 11. These were clearly seen in a Year 10 music lesson where pupils were composing music for a film, having listened to an extract of music written for the film The Orient Express by Richard Rodney Bennett. Time and resources were used very well and the pace remained brisk. Examination requirements were clearly spelled out and pupils took the work very seriously, with excellent listening and co-operative composing. A similarly successful lesson was seen with pupils studying GCSE art in Year 11. There was a thorough concentration on the examination requirements and a very good rehearsal of the assessment objectives. Pupils’ careful research in the library and by using computers extended their knowledge of cubism. Their enthusiasm was high and many produced high quality and sensitive work.

14 Literacy and numeracy are taught well and pupils apply these skills successfully throughout their learning. Some teachers pay too little attention to pupils’ speaking skills, occasionally repeating a pupils’ unclear response rather than asking the pupil to say it again more clearly. The skilled teaching of pupils with special educational needs enables these pupils to make very good progress. The gifted and talented pupils are extended well with much challenging work and they also learn very well and make very good progress.

Pupils’ enthusiasm for school is excellent and their attitudes to work are very good – they enjoy learning.

15 Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour in lessons were of a very high standard. In a third of all lessons they were excellent and in a further third they were very good. Pupils display a level of enthusiasm that is particularly high, attending sessions before and after school and joining in weekend and holiday activities. The excellent, well-run library is in use from early morning to well after school. Pupils who were interviewed formally and informally stressed how much fun school is and how enjoyable much of the work is. They pointed out the wide range of activities in which they participate, both sporting and cultural.

16 Pupils’ maturity is in advance of that seen in many schools. They are sensitive to others’ views and tolerant in listening to differing opinions. Listening skills are especially good. This was amply illustrated by Year 11 pupils in a personal and social education session on sexually transmitted diseases. The skilful approach of the visiting speaker put pupils at ease and they listened carefully, and asked and answered questions with no embarrassment. A parallel session involved Year 11 pupils listening very attentively to a presentation by some officers and inmates of a local prison: it was equally successful. The pupils again displayed much maturity, interest and curiosity in their sensible questioning and excellent response.

The excellent relationships between teachers and pupils and amongst pupils ensure very good learning.

17 Pupils and teachers get on very well together. Raised teachers’ voices in lessons are very rare and pupils and parents rightly have very positive opinions about the quality of teaching. The very dynamic approach of the history teacher in a Year 7 lesson on the Battle

Hungerhill School - 13 of Hastings resulted in very good learning. Pupils were questioned individually illustrating the teacher’s close knowledge of them and concern for their progress. The teacher’s warmth and enthusiasm in a Year 11 science lesson on radioactive decay resulted in excellent learning. Objectives and explanations were very clear and the busy pace helped pupils make rapid progress. The teacher’s great enthusiasm, very good presence and clear professionalism in a Year 10 girls’ netball lesson communicated very effectively to the pupils. A similarly positive lesson was seen with Year 7 boys learning football skills. The teacher’s excellent control of the pupils coupled with his high level of expertise resulted in all pupils showing a very high level of commitment and some very accomplished skills.

The leadership and management are excellent. Senior teachers, staff and governors demonstrate an excellent commitment and capacity to succeed further.

18 The headteacher took over this very successful school in September 2002. His leadership and management skills are excellent. He has enabled the school to continue making improvements from an already high baseline. His vision and commitment for the school’s further success are of a very high order and the educational direction provided is excellent. The senior management team is a very effective blend of complementary skills and styles, all having served the school well for a good number of years.

19 Middle managers are strong and all departments are led well. Very capable heads of years and conscientious form tutors successfully oversee the highly effective pastoral arrangements. The whole staff show a clear commitment to further improvement and are responding very positively to the changes and improvements that the new headteacher is introducing. The school’s aims and values show clearly through its very positive ethos for learning. There is a high commitment to equality of opportunity and social inclusiveness.

20 There is a strong partnership between school and governors. The governors are very supportive and are strongly led by a very capable and knowledgeable chair of governors who spends much time in school. Governors provide a high level of support in shaping the school’s direction. They have a positive but not heavy-handed role in monitoring the school’s work. They are well informed, knowledgeable and optimistic about the school and have much pride and confidence in the school and its staff. They need to ensure that some gaps in the curriculum, related to ICT and collective worship, are filled.

21 The school’s evaluation of its performance is excellent. Teaching is monitored closely and the quality of support provided for staff at all stages in their careers is high. Much relevant data on pupils’ progress and performance is collected and carefully analysed and appropriate action follows. The school’s successful work on monitoring pupils’ progress has been shared with other local schools. The observation, evaluation and development of teaching are excellent. The school is very keen to build on its strengths. The school is a happy place, with pupils, staff and governors sharing the same goals.

WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

Standards in ICT are not high enough because there is too little teaching time in Years 10 and 11, some teaching is unsatisfactory and resources and accommodation are inadequate.

22 The pupils’ standards in information and communication technology at the end of Year 9 as reflected in the teachers’ assessments of their work were similar to national standards in summer 2002. No pupils have taken GCSE examinations in ICT and the quality and quantity of computers are much poorer than those in most schools. There are two computer

Hungerhill School - 14 rooms and they are both badly designed. There have been staffing problems in ICT and the school has experienced difficulty in obtaining suitably qualified teachers. Some ICT teaching is excellent but some is unsatisfactory. Pupils’ progress was too slow in a Year 7 and a Year 9 lesson because many pupils were unclear what to do. The pupils have a six-week block of ICT lessons in Years 10 and 11, alternating with religious education, averaging less than one lesson every two weeks. This is not sufficient time to cover the National Curriculum requirements in the subject or to prepare pupils for GCSE courses. Pupils are currently working towards a Key Skills qualification in ICT. There are now firm plans to considerably increase the number of computers and significantly improve the accommodation as well as offering more ICT courses and time for studying the subject.

The total teaching time is less than that recommended in all years and standards in English in Years 7 to 9 are being held back because there is not enough teaching time for that subject.

23 The teaching week is about one hour less than that recommended the DfES. The school day is a mixture of lessons of 45 and 50 minutes. This is being reviewed with a plan to introduce six 50-minute lessons per day next September. The results of the national tests taken by 14 year olds were above the national average in English in 2002 whereas those in mathematics and science were well above. The English results were in line with those in similar schools whereas those in mathematics and science were better than those in similar schools. Pupils have only 10 per cent of their lesson time for English in Years 7 to 9, whereas mathematics and science each have 13.3 per cent in two of those three years. From the limited evidence gathered in the inspection, there is no significant difference in the quality of teaching in English, mathematics and science. However, mathematics and science lessons tended to be a little more purposeful and brisk with a positive summary of what had been learned at the end.

There are too few vocational courses in Years 10 and 11 to meet the needs of all pupils.

24 The curriculum offered to pupils in Years 10 and 11 has clear strengths. Extra- curricular provision is wide and the needs of the vast majority of pupils are addressed well. The gifted and talented pupils are well provided for and the curriculum for many pupils with special educational needs is well suited to most of their requirements. About 20 pupils in each of Years 10 and 11 are correctly disapplied from the National Curriculum but they are in school only on Mondays and Tuesdays and this narrows their GCSE opportunities. There is only one school-based vocational course on offer at present, in travel and tourism. This is now being reviewed and more vocational courses are being planned to meet the needs of a wider range of pupils.

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Hungerhill School - 15 25 In order to further improve the high quality education currently provided and sustain recent progress, the governors and senior staff should now:

(1) Raise standards of attainment in ICT by:

a. ensuring that the quality of teaching is consistently high (see paragraphs 9 and 22);

b. providing sufficient time in Years 10 and 11 to cover the curriculum (see paragraphs 22 and 23); and

c. providing the required resources and accommodation as soon as possible (see paragraph 22).

(2) Increase the length of the teaching week to 25 hours and raise standards in English in Years 7 to 9 by providing more time for English lessons (see paragraph 23).

(3) Increase the number of vocational courses in Years 10 and 11 (see paragraph 24).

Hungerhill School - 16 PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of lessons observed including three that were not graded for teaching 59

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 30

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor Poor Very Poor y

Number 12 15 22 5 2 0 0

Percentage 21 27 39 9 4 0 0

The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents about two percentage points.

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Y7 – Y11

Number of pupils on the school’s roll 1145

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 79

Special educational needs Y7 – Y11

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 37

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 98

English as an additional language No of pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 2

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 17

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 15

Attendance

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence

% %

School data 5.6 School data 0.1

National comparative data 7.8 National comparative data 1.2

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

Hungerhill School - 17 Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9) Year Boys Girls Total

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 3 for the latest reporting year 2002 113 114 227

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

Boys 81 89 88

Numbers of pupils at NC level 5 Girls 103 93 93 and above Total 184 182 181

School 81 (73) 80 (74) 80 (83) Percentage of pupils at NC level 5 or above National 66 (64) 67 (66) 66 (66)

School 37 (46) 56 (50) 45 (42) Percentage of pupils at NC level 6 or above National 32 (31) 45 (43) 33 (34)

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Boys 76 83 85

Numbers of pupils at NC level 5 Girls 92 84 79 and above Total 168 167 164

School 74 (71) 74 (78) 72 (79) Percentage of pupils at NC level 5 or above National 67 (65) 70 (68) 67 (64)

School 37 (24) 55 (49) 45 (43) Percentage of pupils at NC level 6 or above National 32 (31) 44 (42) 34 (33)

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4 (Year 11) Year Boys Girls Total

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 4 for the latest reporting year 2002 114 108 222

GCSE results 5 or more grades 5 or more grades 1 or more grades A* to C A*-G A*-G

Boys 67 112 113

Numbers of pupils achieving the Girls 77 106 106 standard specified Total 144 218 219

School 65 (69) 98 (100) 99 (100) Percentage of pupils achieving the standard specified National 50 (48) 91 (91) 96 (96)

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

Hungerhill School - 18 GCSE results GCSE point score

School 44.1 Average point score per pupil National 39.8

Figures in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils Number of Number of on roll fixed period permanent exclusions exclusions

White – British 1116 39 4

White – Irish 0 0 0

White – any other White background 2 0 0

Mixed – White and Black Caribbean 0 0 0

Mixed – White and Black African 0 0 0

Mixed – White and Asian 1 0 0

Mixed – any other mixed background 3 0 0

Asian or Asian British - Indian 0 0 0

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 0 0 0

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 1 0 0

Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 0 0 0

Black or Black British – Caribbean 1 0 0

Black or Black British – African 2 0 0

Black or Black British – any other Black background 0 0 0

Chinese 0 0 0

Any other ethnic group 13 0 0

No ethnic group recorded 6 0 0

The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and classes: Y7 – Year 11

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 59.7 Financial year 2001/2002

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 18.4

Education support staff: Y7 – Year 11 £

Total number of education support staff 23 Total income 3,260,935

Total aggregate hours worked per week 562 Total expenditure 3,183,083

Hungerhill School - 19 Deployment of teachers: Y7 – Year 11 Expenditure per pupil 2,790

Percentage of time teachers spend in 76.9 Balance brought forward from previous year 207,491 contact with classes Average teaching group size: Y7 – Year 11 Balance carried forward to next year 285,343

Key Stage 3 27.0

Key Stage 4 20.8

FTE means full-time equivalent.

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 16.7

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 17.7

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 3

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 2

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 1

FTE means full-time equivalent.

Hungerhill School - 20 Results of the survey of parents and carers

Questionnaire return rate

Number of questionnaires sent out 1140

Number of questionnaires returned 360

Percentage of responses in each category

Strongly Tend to Tend to Strongly Don’t agree agree disagree disagree know

My child likes school. 33 58 7 1 1

My child is making good progress in school. 43 53 3 0 1

Behaviour in the school is good. 29 60 6 1 5

My child gets the right amount of work to do at 23 58 16 1 2 home.

The teaching is good. 32 62 3 0 4

I am kept well informed about how my child is 39 46 12 2 1 getting on. I would feel comfortable about approaching the 52 42 4 1 1 school with questions or a problem. The school expects my child to work hard and 67 32 1 0 1 achieve his or her best.

The school works closely with parents. 30 56 11 2 1

The school is well led and managed. 39 51 2 0 8

The school is helping my child become mature and 38 54 4 1 4 responsible. The school provides an interesting range of 23 57 9 1 10 activities outside lessons.

Hungerhill School - 21